We Provide Leverage
by Eruanna17
Summary: Veronica is the mastermind of the best crew on the west coast. Weevil's name does half of his hitting work for him, Mac is the undisputed queen of computers, and Wallace can somehow pickpocket anyone and leave them thinking he was such a nice young man. But eventually, she admits that they might need a grifter. She just really wishes it didn't have to be Logan Echolls. Leverage AU.
1. Recruitment

"V…"

"Look, Weevil, we can figure this out."

"Oh, really?" He raised a sarcastic eyebrow. "Do please fill me in on this new master plan, mastermind."

"Okay, we can hack into their security-"

Mac glanced up indignantly. "First off, when you say 'we', you actually mean 'me', and as I've told you multiple times in my lovingly crafted presentations which no one seems to pay attention to, Kane Software makes their money by designing specialized data security. Look, I own the most powerful personal computer on the western seaboard. There is no personal computer faster or better than mine. And using this incredible computer of mine, it will take me twenty years to hack into Jake Kane's security."

Veronica tapped her finger against her mouth in thought. "So what you're saying is that I need to get you more Red Bull?"

Mac shot her a dangerous look, and Weevil stepped in.

"V. She's saying we need a grifter. We need-"

"We do not need him!" She declared as the loft door opened.

"Ah, come on Supafly. Don't hurt me like that." Wallace called out.

Veronica opened her arms welcomingly. "I didn't mean you, Sodapop. You are a vital part of this team."

An offended noise came from behind the computer screen.

"So are you, Mac. You are all vital parts of this team."

Weevil rolled his eyes and Wallace bounded up to the table with a wide grin.

"Thanks V. That's why I'm always in your corner."

"Thank you! See, Wallace agrees with me. We don't need a grifter."

"Oh, we definitely need a grifter. Did you see bad we got our asses handed to us? We need a new face, and a new approach. Oh, you know who we should call-"

"Wow. From best friend to betrayer in point five seconds. Really?"

Wallace shrugged his shoulders and grabbed a soda from the fridge.

"Besides, I thought you all hated him!" She turned to encompass her whole team.

Mac, who was pouting behind her computer, commented casually. "He's actually pretty cool. At least he appreciates my mad skillz. And took my suggestion to watch Star Wars in Machete Order."

Wallace helped himself to one of Mac's gummy frogs, dodging a slap from the hacker with the same skill that marked him as an expert pickpocket. "I mean, yeah, he was kind of a jackass, but he did save our lives on that emerald job."

Her hitter waited a moment, then added, "Look, he's an arrogant prick. But he's good at what he does. And right now, our choices are to go back to Norris Clayton and tell him that we have no proof that Jake Kane stole his software, or to man up-"

"Woman up!" Mac corrected.

"And use the tools that the job requires. Even if they're giant tools."

Mac and Wallace giggled at the pun, which Weevil acknowledged with a slight smirk.

"Look, we don't even know where he is-" She tried to argue.

"He's currently staying at the Aria hotel and just bought a scotch on the rocks at the Mercury club downtown." Mac supplied with a twinkle of mischief in her eye. "Under two different aliases. Adorable."

Even Veronica had to admit they had her surrounded. " _Fine."_ She grumbled, putting her hands up in surrender. "I will ask."

...

As a mastermind, she really should have seen this coming. She could easily come up with Plans A through M for breaking into the Department of Defense, but she had somehow not accounted for the possibility that he would be waiting for her.

She walked into the loud nightclub, silver dress hugging her curves and helping her skip the line. She swept the room once, then frowned.

"Looking for someone?" A low, amused voice asked.

She froze, then settled a tight smile. "Nope."

"You sure? I mean, you keep scanning the room, then breaking eye contact with all of the guys who are clearly admiring the fit of that dress, so you're not looking for a hook-up, which makes me think you're looking for someone in particular."

"Oh? And in this scenario of yours, who am I looking for?"

Logan Echolls leaned forward with a smirk, dark gray suit tailored perfectly to his form, and took a slow sip of his drink. "Depends. Who do you want me to be?"

She rolled her eyes and purposefully kept her eyes on the room. "You are unbelievable."

"Almost as unbelievable as the famous mastermind Veronica Mars coming to beg for my help a second time."

She whirled around in outrage, then saw his smug smile and realized he wanted her to look at him. Pulling pigtails, like the nine-year-old he was.

"First, I have not ever asked you for help."

"Oh sure. I just swooped in to save your team's collective ass and with no thank you, might I add, after you screwed up my perfect con."

"Please. Your plan had more holes than swiss cheese. Honestly, you should be thanking us for bailing you out."

"Then why are you asking for my help tonight?"

Veronica opened her mouth, then closed it. "Well, I needed the best grifter I could think of, but she was busy. So I called the second best grifter I knew, and she was working with the first one! So then-"

He gave her an infuriating smile. "Is insulting me really the best way to convince me to help you?"

Reminding herself that she was supposed to be the adult in this situation, she took a calming breath, then raised one knowing eyebrow.

"I don't have to convince you to help me. I already know you're going to."

He frowned slightly, intrigued. "And why is that?"

For the first time that night, she turned to fully face him. "Because you're bored." She informed him in a breathy tone. "You're tired of conning little rich boys out of their money, of listening to spoiled heiresses talk about their designer dogs. You want to do something meaningful? You really want to get back at your dad?"

Logan's dark eyes flashed in warning, and she stepped towards him.

"Then work with us. Take guys like him down, make them pay for what they did."

As he stood there, carefully not displaying any emotion, she knew that he was on the edge. Smiling, she took a sip of her martini, then set it down on the table.

"Or you can go back to Caitlin Ford. I'm sure her newest story about how immigrants are ruining the country and her nails will be absolutely fascinating. Ciao."

She walked away, satisfied smile playing across her mouth.

As she headed to her car, she slowed, then glanced smugly over her shoulder.

"Coming?" She asked carelessly.

A tall silhouette stepped out of the shadows of the alley. "I have few conditions." Logan told her, tone implying he was playing this off as a win.

Grinning slightly, Veronica continued to her car. "I'm sure you do."


	2. Anticipation

"You ready, Fennel?"

A collective groan sounded through the comms as Wallace gleefully responded in a low voice, "I was born ready!"

Logan paused. "Right. Never say that again."

"Just in case it comes up, his middle name is actually Francis, not Danger." Mac commented with a smile.

"Hey! That is personal information!"

"It's adorable how you still believe in privacy."

"Wiedman is on the move. He just left the building." Veronica called out, her voice commanding order. "Contact in three, two..."

There was a slight rustle of clothing as Wallace brushed past Kane Software's head of security. "Sorry, man." Wallace apologized as he deftly palmed the security card out of the man's jacket pocket.

Logan started walked down the hall, waving his free hand around as he argued on his phone. In a 'blink-and-you'll-miss-it' exhibition of skill, Wallace pressed the card into Logan's hand during one of his angry gestures.

"Well, I don't care if that's what Steve said, he clearly has no idea what he's talking about." Logan rolled his eyes as he scanned the card and passed the guard at the entrance. "You remember what happened the last time he tried to do a project on his own."

He slid the card into the reader at Wiedman's office door, then quickly stepped inside and plugged in a flash drive into the computer.

"Alright Mac, do your thing." Logan said as he started looking through Wiedman's papers.

"You think you're so clever, you think you can block me out, huh? Well now I've got a man on the inside! What do you think about _that?"_

"Mac, please don't taunt the firewall." Veronica said in a patient tone. "Weevil? How we looking?"

"Wiedman's driving to his meeting as we speak." The hitter informed them. "You sure you want me to follow him?"

"We need to keep an eye on him, just in case. Tracking his phone can only get us so far."

"So what are we looking for, exactly?" Logan asked.

"Anything that proves Kane Software stole Norris' program. Mac is searching the servers, but he'd probably have surveillance on Norris as well."

"Well, there's nothing on his desk, but - why, hello locked drawer."

After a few moments of fiddling, Veronica heard a small click and a drawer being slid open. "Gotcha. And would you look at that, a whole file of surveillance photos. Looks like you were right, Veronica."

She frowned in offense. "There's no need to sound so surprised."

"I don't know, I mean, from what I've heard, some of your plans are a little more thrown together at the last second than-"

A sudden noise of an opening door interrupted him.

"Excuse me, who are you and what are you doing in Mr. Wiedman's office?" A woman's voice asked suspiciously.

"Shit." Veronica muttered.

"I'll be there in ten minutes." Weevil growled, tires screeching as he turned around.

Wallace swallowed. "That's too long, I mean, how's he even-"

"Hello. Are you Ms. Perez?" Logan asked calmly, ignoring the chatter.

"I am. And you are…?"

"Mr. Dernholm. I was looking for Mr. Wiedman, but he seems to be out."

The rest of the team held their collective breath as they waited to see if the woman bought it.

"Oh! Mr. Dernholm, we weren't expecting you until next week." Surprise and deference replaced suspicion in her tone as everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Logan gave her a charming smile. "Well, my schedule opened up, and I thought I'd stop in."

Veronica leaned over Mac's shoulder. "What is he talking about? Who is this Dernholm guy?"

Mac pulled up a few screens. "Mr. Kevin Dernholm, chief manager of an efficiency consulting firm. Set to meet with Mr. Wiedman and Ms. Perez next Tuesday to discuss how to improve the company's workflow."

Wallace was clearly impressed. "Damn. Fast thinking, Logan."

Veronica could almost hear Weevil frown in thought as he muttered, "Or he actually prepped for this."

Ms. Perez sounded flustered. "Of course, we're so glad you did. Would you like to call the efficiency meeting now or…"

"Actually, I'd love a tour first. Gives me a chance to see how the staff functions currently before I make any suggestions." Logan nodded, quickly slipping a blank manilla folder over Norris' file.

"Absolutely. This way."

Logan proceeded to distract Ms. Perez with the tour long enough for Mac to find, download, and erase Norris' program from the Kane servers.

"Alright, got it. Now get out of there." Mac said as the last file disappeared.

"Well, I think I've seen enough for today, Ms. Perez. Thank you very much for the tour. My office will be in contact later this week to work out details."

Veronica's eyes widened. "Wait. The flash drive."

Mac cursed and switched the screen over to the security footage, where their thumb drive was merrily blinking away at Wiedman's computer.

"Who's gonna notice an extra flash drive at a tech company?" Weevil groused, still upset at the near disaster from earlier.

"Wiedman. Plus, if anyone's paranoid enough to check for fingerprints, it's him."

Wallace crossed his arms. "Well I can't break in to get it back. Remember what happened last time? And Mr. Punchy-"

"Don't call me that." Weevil growled at the thief, who ignored him.

"- certainly can't grab it, I'm sure they've got his face all over the security system. So, unless you've got a secret way in-"

Logan sighed, then made a show of patting his pockets. "Ms. Perez, I believe I might have left my phone in Mr. Wiedman's office, do you mind if we stop by to check?"

Everyone in the Leverage office paused.

"Or we could just have Logan grab it." Mac offered after a beat.

…

Later that evening, after they had sent Norris Clayton off with his reclaimed software and a check to cover damages, graciously (and unknowingly) provided by Kane Software, the team celebrated at the bar with a round of drinks.

Logan looked somewhat surprised as Weevil shoved a glass of whiskey at him.

"Can't believe you drink that stuff." He muttered grumpily as he walked away.

Wallace shook his head with a smile as Mac translated, "He means 'thank you'. And so do we. That was pretty slick grifting today."

Logan nodded, then clinked glasses with the other two. "Any time. It's a lot easier to pull these things off with people who know what they're doing."

The hacker and thief beamed with pride as he joined Veronica at the end of the bar.

She spared him a brief look as he sat next to her, then went back to studying her drink.

"So." Logan began casually. "How'd I do?"

"Excuse me?"

"This was obviously an audition to see if I'd be a good fit for the team. And I'd say that since I saved your asses fairly handily today, the answer is a clear 'yes', which is probably why you're sulking in a corner."

"I am not sulking." She retorted.

"Mm-hmm." He grinned at her infuriatingly before repeating, "So, how'd I do?"

Veronica shook her head slightly, took a sip, then replied, "Not as bad as I thought you would."

"Does that mean I get to be one of your Merry Men, Robin Hood?" He mocked gently.

"It means that this is still a trial run, and I'm currently reserving judgement."

Logan narrowed his eyes at her. "It's almost like you don't trust me, Mars."

"Imagine that." She dished back with false surprise.

After a few seconds, he scooted a little closer to her and tilted his head. "You're not still upset about that emerald job, are you?"

Veronica's tone went ice cold. "You stole from me."

"We're thieves, Veronica. That's what we do."

"That's what _you_ do. I help people."

"Ah. The ends justify the means, hm? Besides, you got the emerald back for your little lost sheep. I just… took a cut. For my services."

The blonde snorted into her drink and looked away. Logan watched her for a moment, a slow grin working its way across his face as he realized what was bothering her.

He stood and shrugged on his jacket. "You know, I think you're forgetting a crucial part of what happened that night."

Veronica turned to face him, one eyebrow raised skeptically. "Oh? And what's that?"

Logan leaned in slowly, until their lips were a breath away from touching, Veronica's startled blue-gray eyes staring into his caramel ones.

He waited a few beats, then whispered softly, "You certainly seemed to enjoy it at the time."

Before she could fully react, he tipped the bartender, then walked toward the door. "Well Mars, I await the next job with _great_ anticipation." With a bow worthy of a Shakespearean actor, he exited with a wide smirk.

Veronica let out a long, slow breath as the door swung shut.

"Oooooo." Mac and Wallace called as they walked by with gleeful smiles, pointing between her and the door. "Ooooo. Ooo."

Veronica resisted the urge to flip them off, downed the rest of her drink instead, and wondered what the hell she had gotten herself into.


	3. Challenge

"Alright guys, keep your eyes peeled." Veronica's voice echoed in Logan's ear as he took a sip of champagne and watched her move through the other patrons, gold dress flashing through the crowd of dark tuxes. "This is our best chance at finding out whether Julie is actually missing, or has just moved on to fleecing other wealthy men."

"Hey!" Mac protested. "You are lucky that I found _anything_ for our client. The name Colin gave us was obviously fake, and there's a trail of shell companies a mile-"

"Well, hello there." Logan looked up to see a tall brunette smile charmingly at him. "What's a handsome guy like you doing here all by yourself?"

After admiring her skintight red evening dress, Logan returned her grin. "Well clearly, I'm waiting for a dazzling conversation partner. How lucky I am that you happened by."

As the brunette laughed and brushed his arm, Logan swore he could hear Veronica roll her eyes.

"Hey V, why do I gotta wear the monkey suit?" Weevil complained as he tugged at his collar.

"Aw, you look great as a penguin!" Wallace teased, straightening the jacket of his tuxedo.

Weevil dodged a waiter offering bruschetta and growled into the comms. "We're wearing the same thing, dumbass."

"You know the difference between you and me?" Wallace asked, grinning as a dark-skinned girl started making her way over to him. "I make this look _good_."

Veronica cut in as she shied away from the society photographer. "Wallace, grab the manager's keycard and check out their records. I want to know who's a frequent flyer at these things."

"On it." Wallace grabbed a tray of champagne glasses and offered one to the manager as he stealthily lifted the man's keycard out of the inside of his jacket, grinning widely as he sipped some champagne in celebration of his own skill.

"So, who is she?"

It took Logan a moment to realize the last question had come from his drinking partner. "I'm sorry, who?"

She motioned across the room. "The blonde by the bar. You keep staring at her."

Veronica promptly choked on her champagne.

"You're not together, are you?"

Logan's mouth quirked up a little. "No, we're not."

"But you want to be." She guessed with a mischievous twinkle as the rest of the crew tried not to make eye contact. "You know, if you want to make her jealous, I can think of a few things that could help you out."

"Oh?" He raised an interested eyebrow. "What did you have in mind?"

Veronica huffed a little. "Alright Mac, find out who the hell that-"

A squeal of feedback echoed in everyone's comms. Logan, to his credit, didn't even flinch, but Veronica winced while Wallace yelped.

"Ow! Mac!"

"Sorry, sorry! I have no idea why someone would be using this channel, unless-"

A static-filled male voice drifted in and out, "Okay, I've got a rich Texan over by the canapes, and the guy in the hideous plaid pants just inherited a couple mil from his daddy."

After a moment, Mac ventured an uncertain, "...Hello?"

The other voice paused, then responded, "...Hello?"

"Who is this?" Mac demanded, underscored by furious typing.

"Who is _this?"_

"Look, I think you're bumping into my baby monitor frequency, so what you need to do is turn yours off so my little child can take a nap, m'kay?"

The guy snorted. "Wow. Your baby is incredibly advanced! He just attempted to launch a multiple-variant computer worm at my baby monitor's firewall."

Mac mumbled a curse and switched to their back-up channel just as the other hacker announced, "Guys, we have a visiting team!"

Logan's brunette partner eyed him for a few seconds, then smiled widely. "How rude of me, I never introduced myself. Kendall Lacey."

Raising his drink to clink with hers, Logan answered, "Logan Lester. Pleasure to meet you."

Veronica glanced around the room. "Guys, if there's a different team out there, we need to try and find out who's involved. Wallace, get to the manager's office and find those records so we can get out of here."

Wallace handed the drink tray to a passing waiter and headed toward the exit marked 'Employees Only'. "Got it. Man, who else do you know who can do what I do and look this good at the same-"

He paused suddenly as a lithe figure in a purple dress brushed past him. Blinking, he turned slowly and watched as the dark-skinned girl winked at him. Patting his pockets furiously, Wallace gaped as the girl dangled the keycard in her hands and raised her eyebrows flirtatiously.

"She just... I had it and she… did anyone…?"

"Wallace, focus!" Veronica barked. "See if you can get it back. Weevil, check the perimeter. We don't know how big their crew is. Mac, find out everything you can about them. We need to find their leader, the one calling the shots."

Logan spent the exchange subtly scanning the crowd before his eyeline settled on Kendall. He thought he heard a murmur as she turned her head and several pieces suddenly fell into place.

"I think I found her." Logan spoke in a quiet undertone, watching the way Kendall's eyes flicked from the girl in the purple dress currently teasing Wallace with the manager's wallet to several other women in the room, who were meeting her gaze with secretive looks of their own.

Veronica's eyes widened. "Look, if she's in charge, we need to-"

A low voice interrupted her. "Wow." She turned to see a young man with an open, smiling face offering her a refreshed drink. "When I came to this charity auction, I didn't realize there'd be someone that'd make me feel like a charity case."

Veronica glanced at the brunet man's designer tuxedo, gold watch, and diamond cufflinks, then raised an eyebrow. "Something tells me that you've never been on the other side of a charity case in your life." She told him. "Honestly, does that line seriously work with the girls around here?"

The young man blinked, then grinned in surprised glee. "Depends on the girl. Are you always this persnickety?"

"Sometimes I'm even persnickety-er." Veronica smiled in spite of herself. "Charlotte Prentiss."

"Troy Vandegraff." He bowed over her offered hand. "Might I interest you in something other than champagne?"

Veronica paused, trying to sort out Wallace's irate mumblings about how no one stole from him, even if she was drop dead gorgeous; Mac's furious typing and cursing at the other hacker; a slight worry that Weevil had gone silent; and Logan's attempt to sniff out the leader of the other crew, when she suddenly remembered that the Vandegraffs were the ones hosting the auction.

When she glanced back up, Troy was regarding her with a questioning look. "Unless you're otherwise occupied?"

Coming to a decision, she gave him a wide smile. "Not at all. Give me a moment to powder my nose and I'll meet you by the whiskey vendor. Order me a 50 year Balmoor?"

Troy beamed at her. "A girl who knows her Scotch. I count the seconds until your return."

As Veronica walked away, she rapidly called the chaos in her ear to order. "Everyone, listen up! I can't talk, so Logan is taking point on this one. Keep your covers, get information, and Logan?"

Their eyes locked from across the room.

"You give me my team back in one piece." Her tone was simultaneously trusting and threatening.

Logan tipped his glass towards her with a solemn nod.

While Kendall still seemed distracted, Logan quickly snapped out directions. "Mac, shut the other hacker out of our system and try to break into his. Wallace, keycard and manager's office. Weevil, you there?"

"I think I spotted one of their crew doing a perimeter sweep. Following her now."

"Good. Be careful." Taking a breath, Logan waited until Kendall turned back towards him.

"It's you, isn't it?" He asked with a slow grin.

She blinked him with an inquisitive "Hm?"

"You're running the other crew."

Kendall froze for only a millisecond before flashing him a dazzling smile. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Suspicions confirmed, Logan smirked. "Oh come now. Why don't we think of this as a happy accident? You didn't know we were going to be here, we didn't know you were going to be here. Still, there's plenty of other people's money to go around."

Raising a skeptical eyebrow, Kendall asked, "You want to partner up?"

Shrugging, Logan replied, "Not a bad idea. You know, you're obviously great with the gentlemen, and we can handle the ladies, so we all win."

She narrowed her eyes. "I don't know you or what you're capable of."

Logan flashed her his most charming smile. "Listen, I have fleeced more divorcées and widows than you could shake a stick at. I can get any girl I want, any time, any place."

"Oh?" Kendall inquired archly. "What about the blonde?" She nodded towards where Veronica was drinking and laughing with Troy.

Logan carefully kept his face blank. "She has a reputation for being… difficult." He gave a nonchalant shrug. "There are plenty of easier targets out there."

"But easy targets are no test of skill." Kendall answered, warming to her challenge. "Tell you what. You get her to go out with you in the next 24 hours, and I'll watch you work and make a determination."

Noticing that Veronica was alone, Logan downed the rest of his champagne flute and gave her a predatory grin. "No time like the present."

"Ladies and gentlemen," a loud voice announced from the front. "We're going to be closing the auction a little early tonight. We thank you all for your charitable bids, and will be in contact with the winners shortly. If everyone could please make their way towards the exits, we'd appreciate it." In a more hushed tone, Veronica heard the manager order the security guards to find his wallet and lock everything up.

"Your shawl, milady." Troy held out the silk wrap with a flourish, eliciting a laugh. "Would you please allow me the honor of walking you out?"

Veronica gave him a sly look as she took her shawl. "You always this chivalrous? Or am I special?"

"I have a rule to be chivalrous to all sexy, sassy ladies who know how to hold their liquor." He gestured grandly, then leaned in close and whispered softly. "But you are truly special."

Charmed in spite of herself, Veronica bit her lip and took Troy's arm.

"You'll have to do better than that." She murmured into her comm as they walked away, missing the oddly vulnerable look that flashed across Logan's face.

Kendall tsked in false sympathy as she came up beside him. "Looks like someone got a head start." Shrugging on her own coat, she handed him a card. "Tomorrow, call that number. Once you've made your move, I'll be there."

He watched Kendall leave, then glanced over to where Troy was helping Veronica into her car. The corner of his mouth quirked up into a cocky grin. "Let the games begin."


	4. The Date

Veronica stretched and yawned as she padded into the kitchen.

"Late night?" A low, amused voice asked archly.

Proud of herself for not jumping, Veronica took a moment, then coyly replied, "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"We have a briefing in five minutes, and I expect my team to be punctual." Logan told her with mock severity, which earned him an exasperated glare as Veronica rummaged for a mug.

"Haha. I'll be there in a moment, Supreme Leader. I just need my-"

"Coffee?" Logan slid a steaming cup her way.

She glanced up with a mix of surprise and suspicion. "Thanks." She said slowly, then headed to the briefing room.

Logan watched her leave, then looked over as Weevil came in. "Well?"

"He was a perfect gentlemen. Invited her to a schmancy dessert place, had coffee and some chocolate mousse, walked around the botanical gardens, which is pretty impressive because they close at eight, but opened it up real quick as soon as they saw his car. Dropped her off a little after midnight, made reservations for brunch at another rich white dude place called La Châtillon for 11 today."

"Hey!" Veronica shouted from the other room. "Waiting on you now, Skippy!"

Logan nodded in thanks to Weevil, then joined the others on the couch.

"Thanks for showing up, boys." Veronica announced loftily. "Mac, run it."

A series of photos with dossiers appeared on the screen. Mac enlarged the picture of a young man with dark hair and glasses.

"This is guy is one of the best hackers in the business, besides me of course. His handle is M4XCHA05, real name Max Finch. He made his name in the black hat community by selling test answers in college, and he did this whole exposé on the SATs and ACTs for being a blatant money grab from textbook companies. He's one of the big names in security circumvention, and you guys should see his code. It's got this… elegance to it." The rest of the team turned to stare as Mac trailed off in a soft tone. "It's efficient, but also, somehow… beautiful."

"Ahem." Weevil coughed loudly.

Mac jumped and realized that everyone was looking at her. "What?"

Wallace pointed between her and the screen. "Did you just get lost in the dude's eyes while talking about his code? Seriously?"

"What? No." Mac protested weakly. "I was just… explaining who we're up against. And what their skills are. Nothing more."

"Uh-huh."

Veronica cleared her throat. "Anything else we should know, Mac?"

Snapping to attention, Mac minimized Max's picture and highlighted the rest. "Well, as you can probably see, he is the only guy. All the rest of Kendall's crew are women."

"There's the hottie that stole from me!" Wallace pointed, sounding somehow both offended and impressed.

"That is Jackie Cook. Daughter of Terrance Cook, the basketball player who nearly got killed by the mob after he couldn't pay back his debt. She came on the scene to help him with bills, then became big after pulling off a job at the Sorbonne in Paris."

"What about her?" Weevil nodded at the photo of a woman who looked both gorgeous and dangerous. "She was the one patrolling the perimeter. We were about to square off when Logan said we needed to get out of there."

"Sorry, man." Logan shrugged. "If I had seen her, I'd have told you to go for it."

Veronica rolled her eyes as Mac explained, "That's Mikel Dayan. She goes by the name 'Jade' mostly. Ex-Mossad, sealed records, used to work both sides as a mercenary."

Weevil glanced up in surprise. "Jade? Like _the_ Jade?"

Pointing a finger, Wallace laughed, "You were scared to fight a girl!"

"She would have mopped the floor with you, Fennel."

Wallace adopted a high pitched voice, "Oh help, I'm the big scary Weevil who can't stand up to a girl!"

"No, I mean, literally. She killed a dude with a mop once. It's a funny story, actually. She snapped the mop in half, and took-"

"And I assume that's Kendall." Veronica interrupted, gesturing to the middle photo.

"Yup. Kendall Lacey, real name Priscilla Banks. Career black widow. Runs into a rich old guy at a fancy party, gets him to fall in love, they get married, he gets dead, she gets money. Then she moves to a new town, gets a new name, and repeat. Apparently she thought that L.A. had enough marks to go around, so she's starting her own crew. Besides the other three on the screen, she's collected a bunch of desperate wanna-be actresses so she can take a nice cut from all of the other girls without having to walk down the aisle herself. Probably what happened to Julie."

Nodding, Veronica addressed the group. "Alright, so today, while we're running the _hohe Minne_ scam, the rest of you need to find her office and get her records. That's the only way to find out if Julie is a part of their crew and where she is now."

Mac blinked. "The what scam?"

" _Hohe Minne_." Logan explained. "It's German for 'high courtly love'. In the middle ages, a knight would undergo challenges to prove himself worthy of a noblewoman's love."

Raising a skeptical eyebrow, Wallace commented, "Seems like a lot of work." As Weevil, Mac, and Logan looked over, he shrugged nervously. "I'm just saying…"

After the meeting, Veronica wandered over to Logan. "So, how do we want to plan our meet-cute?"

Logan tilted his head as he drank his coffee. "Excuse me?"

"Our meet-cute for today. I was thinking that after brunch, we'd stage an accidental 'trip and you catch me' sort of thing, and I'd say-"

"Whoa, whoa." Logan held up a hand. "You don't get to plan this."

Veronica's eyebrows shot up dangerously. "Excuse me?"

"You can't script out a date line by line. I need your reactions to be genuine. For Kendall." Logan added with a grin. "You can do that, can't you? React genuinely to someone flirting with you?"

"Hey, that's no way to talk to a noblewoman." Wallace teased as he passed by.

"Oh, I'm not the noblewoman." Veronica told him, then looked at Logan with a defiant lift of her chin. "I'm the challenge."

As she walked away, Wallace heard Logan murmur softly, "Aren't you always?"

…

The next day, Troy spared no expense at La Châtillon, ordering a custom tasting menu and breaking out a fantastically expensing bottle of wine. Veronica enjoying wining and dining as much as the next girl, and was only distracted from her date by Logan entering the restaurant in a truly stunning suit. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye as he was seated at the table next to her, wondering what exactly his plan was, but deciding to commit to her role as the unsuspecting target.

A passing waiter dropped off a small envelope at Logan's table. Opening it, he smiled slightly and placed the comm in his ear.

"I assume this little gift is from you, Kendall?" He murmured as he folded his newspaper.

"That's a two-way transmitter." Kendall's voice told him, and he spotted her behind a decorative screen at the other end of the restaurant. "I can hear everything you say and everything she says, so no cheating. Now impress me."

Logan raised his water glass in a salute, then gave the waiter his brunch order. Before the man could walk away, Logan called out in a voice that carried clearly to Veronica's table.

"Pardon me, waiter, do you know a five-letter word for 'makes one's hair stand on end'?"

The server paused, then shook his head as Veronica glanced over. "Sorry, sir, no."

Logan grinned and shook his head. "Nevermind."

"Veronica?"

Her eyes snapped back to Troy. "Sorry, what?"

"You just seem a little distracted."

Veronica smiled. "Not at all, just enjoying the wine."

"Well, I'm enjoying the view." Troy winked as she laughed.

"Do those lines actually work for you?"

Troy shrugged. "You're here, aren't you?"

She tipped her glass towards him. "Fair point."

"Going to make a move soon, loverboy?" Kendall's voice echoed in his ear, and Logan smoothed out his frown.

"All in good time." He responded soothingly, then nodded at Wallace.

Wallace, who was dressed as a host, nodded back as he escorted a young woman inside.

"And this is your table, ma'am. Your server will be with you shortly, but is there anything you-"

" _Troy?!"_ The woman shrieked as she spotted Veronica's date, who suddenly went pale.

"Sh-Shauna? What are you doing here?"

"What am I doing here? What the hell are _you_ doing here? Who is this?!"

Troy stood and attempted to calm her. "Please Shauna, let's just... Can we talk outside?" He leaned toward Veronica and whispered, "I'll be right back."

While Veronica tried to smile awkwardly, Kendall humphed a little, then admitted with begrudging respect, "Using a jilted ex-girlfriend to get him to leave. Makes him look shifty and she feels abandoned. Not bad."

"Thanks." Logan grinned. "Told you I was good."

Time passed and Troy did not return, so when the waiter came by with the check, Veronica glanced around uncomfortably. "Oh, I… I didn't bring anything with-"

"Allow me." Logan leaned over and dropped several large bills on the server's tray.

Veronica met his eyes with gratitude. "Oh. Thank you. I'm so embarrassed, I didn't… prepare for this situation at all."

"It's my pleasure. I don't often get to play the white knight, especially to such a remarkable damsel." He bowed slightly. "Logan Lester."

"Charlotte Prentiss." She gestured to the empty seat. "Care to join me?"

"I'd be delighted."

Once he was settled, Veronica quirked an eyebrow at him and said, "Tease."

Logan blinked at her. "Pardon?"

"Five letter word, makes your hair stand up on end." She leaned back in her chair. "Tease."

He looked down at his newspaper with a grin. "Well, look at that. It's the key to the whole thing."

"You're welcome." She told him, taking a sip of her wine.

After a few moments of conversation, Logan leaned forward. "Hey, want to get out of here? There's a dessert place down the way that has a view you'll love."

Veronica tilted her head. "And how would you know what I'd love?"

"Trust me."

She gave him a long look. "You know what they say about men who overpromise and underdeliver."

"How do you know I'm overpromising unless you see me deliver?" He shot back, almost as a dare.

Biting back a grin, Veronica stood. "Well, let's go then."

As Logan lent her his arm, he heard Kendall in his earpiece. "Nice hook. Now let's see if you can land her."

Once they walked down to the dessert place, Veronica glanced around with furrowed brows at the small deck with tables and chairs. Taking a bite of her ice cream, and suppressing a shiver, she turned to Logan.

"Well, this is certainly a first class view of patio furniture and the side of a building. I can see why you bring all the ladies here."

Logan smiled despite her sarcastic tone, and led the way to the shaded side of the patio. "To be fair, most ladies love a good view of stucco walls."

"Bad idea," Kendall commented in Logan's ear. "The ice cream plus the shade will give her a chill. Game over. Nice meeting you."

Gesturing to a corner table, Logan set his cup down and offered to take Veronica's as well. She handed it over and rubbed her arms against the wind.

Taking off his jacket, Logan placed it around her shoulders, earning him a surprised blink.

Kendall sneered, "Clever boy, always thinking ahead, aren't you."

"Oh. Thank you." Veronica said softly as he came around, staring into his caramel eyes.

"Most welcome." He replied, pulling the jacket closer. "And, if you turn around, I think you'll find the view I promised."

Coming back to herself, Veronica bit her tongue as she teased, "Are you sure? I'll let you off easy if you give up n- Oh my God!" She shrieked the last part in a squeal of delight. "Ponies!"

Leaning against the railing as far as she could, Veronica watched trainers exercise horses as several other Thoroughbreds galloped around a dirt track.

She turned around with a look a genuine joy and surprise. "How did you know?"

Regarding her with a warm smile, Logan shrugged. "Just a hunch."

As Veronica watched the horses and Logan watched her, he ventured a question. "So, where did this equine fascination come from? Do you ride?"

"Oh, no. I'd like to learn, someday, but I've loved them since I was a kid."

"Yeah?" He prompted, and Veronica laughed a little.

"You know those cheap carnivals that come through? My parents took me to one when I was seven, and the first thing I saw was one of those pony rides where they all just walk in a circle. They put me on top of this tiny horse and I stayed there for the next five hours."

Logan gave a short bark of laughter. "Really?"

"Absolutely. They tried bribing me with other rides, cotton candy, carnival prizes, but I refused to move. I named him Brownie and when they finally pried me off, I tried to convince them that he could live in my room and I'd feed him and clean up after him, the whole nine yards. But sadly, they told me that our apartment did not allow horses of any kind. So that was that."

There was a pause, then Logan raised an eyebrow at her. "And?"

"What do you mean 'and'?"

"I mean that you're a young woman of action who encountered an obstacle in between you and the object of your desire. There must be more to the story."

Veronica bit her lip and shook her head at him in defeat. "Okay, there may have been an escape attempt."

"There it is!" He exclaimed in satisfaction.

"I told my parents I needed to go the bathroom, snuck out the back, then tried to untie Brownie and lead him to the car."

"I assume 'tried' is the operative word?"

"Turns out that while I thought I was leading him to a life of candy and freedom, he thought I was taking him away from his friends and food. So, despite my valiant efforts, he didn't budge an inch."

Logan burst out laughing. "I can just picture it."

"My parents grounded me for a week, then my dad bought me a toy pony that looked exactly like Brownie and said I could have him until we had enough money to buy a horse for real." Veronica trailed off, lost in memory, until Logan spoke.

"And now you do."

She jumped a little, then remembered that this was a con, and he was just turning his impressive grifter charm on her. None of this was real.

Waving her hand, she tried to sound rich and dismissive. "Oh, yes, hundreds if I wanted. But you know how life is, always something pressing on your time. Galas, charities, museum openings."

"Always alone?" Logan asked softly, tilting his head, a note of sincerity beneath his question.

"Mostly." She answered after a beat, wishing it didn't feel so true.

Their eyes met, and she was suddenly back in time; rushed breaths, rough skin under her fingers, his caramel eyes full of startled honesty.

"We should go riding sometime." The present Logan told her, shattering her reverie. "I can teach you."

Veronica blinked at him, then smiled coquettishly, playing her part. "I'd like that."

…

After Logan handed her into a cab (conveniently driven by Wallace), Kendall drove up and raised an eyebrow. "Alright, I'm impressed. Seems we have terms to discuss. A new partnership to celebrate."

Logan smirked. "Excellent. Where should we meet? I'm eager to admire your extensive files."

Kendall shot him a look and opened the door. "Get in."

Shifting slightly, Logan made eye contact with Eli before he slid into the back seat.

…

"V, she's got Logan."

Wallace pulled over as Veronica put her hand to her earbud.

"What? Where is she taking him?"

"Not sure. I'm following the car, but this driver knows all the anti-surveillance tricks. He's good." Weevil paused, then added, "I don't like this. This woman's left a lot of bodies behind her."

"But Logan's not a mark, he's a potential partner." Wallace argued. "And if anyone can get her files and get out, it's him. Right?"

He looked back at Veronica, who was starting to get a bad feeling about this.

Mac spoke up. "He's still off comms, but I'll track the car through traffic cams as far as I can. It looks like they're heading towards the marina, but she takes him to her yacht, we're stuck. There's a camera by the entrance, but nothing with a view of the boats."

There was a pause, and Veronica knew they were waiting on her. Taking a breath, she put her worries (and memories) aside. "Weevil, head straight for the marina. We don't know what she's up to, but it's probably not good. Mac, get me the slip number for that yacht and see if you can track down the rest of her crew. I'm guessing she only uses them for jobs, but just in case, I don't want any unexpected visitors. Wallace," Her pickpocket turned around at her tone. "Get us there."

"Aye aye captain." Wallace saluted, then gunned it.

…

"So, I was thinking 60/40, seeing as how you've already got a system in place, and we complete it." Logan bargained with a smile as he followed Kendall down the dock.

"Don't insult me. 25% is the most you're going to get." Kendall breezed past him onto a sizeable yacht.

"Nice boat."

Kendall ran her hand along the wood panelling. "It was my late husband's. One of the few things he had good taste in. Besides me, of course."

"Of course. Permission to come aboard?"

She gave him a predatory grin as she placed a laptop in her bag. "Granted."

"At least tell me you'd consider 70/30." Logan said as he climbed aboard, then froze as another man came out from the cabin. Holding a gun.

Turning around with mock penitence, Kendall placed her hand on her chest with a sigh. "Oh dear me. I must have forgotten to mention that I already have a partner."

Logan smiled through gritted teeth. "Ah yes. Troy. Glad to see you recovered from your… awkward brunch."

Troy's eyes widened and he started forward. "You bastard! That was you?"

Kendall held out a hand. "Down, boy. I want him alive for the moment." She crossed her arms and asked, "Now, what are you? Local police? FBI?"

Logan leaned back against the railing, giving off every subliminal cue for nonchalance as he desperately hoped this team of Veronica's was as good as he had heard.

Scoffing, he shook his head. "Please. I'm not a fed. I'm a thief. I thought if I could get close enough to your files, I could use your marks for myself or get some of your girls to add to my crew."

Kendall's eyes narrowed. "As good as you are, you're not nearly as good as you think you are. It's obvious you don't have what it takes to do what I do."

Logan tilted his head, curious. "What is it, exactly, you think I'm lacking?"

"Ruthlessness. You're far too vulnerable and open. I watched you with your mark and it's obvious you're completely in love with her already."

"Is that such a bad thing?" He asked as he saw Kendall's bag move slightly and felt a wave of relief. "Falling in love?"

She gave him a hard stare. "There's no such thing as love." She grabbed her bag and disembarked with a small wave. "Have fun, Troy."

Kendall was halfway down the dock when she heard a gunshot followed by a large splash. She shook her head as she pulled out her phone. "Men. So predictable."

"Betcha didn't see this coming, though."

Her head snapped up to see Veronica blocking her way with crossed arms. Kendall blinked, then let out a low laugh. "Oh. Oh, you're good."

Veronica smirked. "So I've been told."

"I didn't suspect you at all."

She shrugged. "Of course not. As good as you are, you're not nearly as good as you think you are."

Kendall stopped, then stared at her with growing suspicion. "How did you hear that?"

"Oo." A male voice hissed in mock sympathy. She whipped around to see Logan walking up, perfectly dry.

"Did I forget to mention that I already had a partner?" He repeated with a sarcastic smile, gesturing to Veronica.

Shaking her head, she pointed at Logan. "No, I heard you go over. If not you, then who-"

"Yeah," Weevil chimed in from further down the dock. "Your boy really wanted to go swimming. Tried to take a shot at me before I helped him. Rude."

Realizing she was clearly outnumbered, Kendall tried to negotiate. "Fine. What do you want, 50/50? 60/40?"

Logan shrugged. "I wasn't lying when I said I was after your records."

Kendall grabbed her bag protectively. "I'll never give them up."

With an exaggerated pout, Veronica taunted, "Ah, but you already have."

Obviously trying not to panic, the woman opened her bag to find it empty. "What the hell-" she started, then glared at Wallace, who was cheerfully waving at her with the missing computer.

"Your details have been sent to every mark you have on file, plus, we forwarded your fingerprints to the authorities, and they're very interested in your connection to the deaths of all those late husbands." Veronica told her with the look of a well-fed cat.

"We also let your crew know about your current notoriety, and how much cash you were keeping to yourself. Naughty. Didn't you ever learn to share?" Leaning forward, Logan whispered, "So if I were you, I'd start running."

Veronica bared her teeth in a semblance of a smile. "Now."

…

Back at McRory's, there were loud cheers as Logan bought the rest of the team drinks.

"While I probably would have made it out somehow on my own," he looked around with a grateful nod, "it's nice to know there's a first rate crew watching my back."

"I'll drink to that!" Wallace shouted, and clinked his vodka/orange soda mix with Mac's gin and tonic and Weevil's beer.

"Hear, hear!" Mac agreed, then turned to Wallace. "Okay, truth time, how'd you steal her laptop without getting wet?"

"He squelched across the boat like a tree frog." Weevil answered, then mimicked loud sucking sounds. "Pop pop!"

"Who the hell are you calling a frog? Say that to my face!"

"I just did say that to your face. Your ugly-ass face too."

Veronica rolled her eyes as Mac tried to hold Wallace back while dissolving into giggles. "Children. I work with children."

Logan slid her a glass of whiskey as he sat down next to her. "Hey, Julie and Colin are reunited, and between the cops looking for Kendall to arrest her, and her disbanded crew trying to track her down for revenge, I'd say they did good work today."

She raised an eyebrow. "They?"

Chuckling, he raised his drink. "You did _excellent_ work today."

"Why yes I did." She nodded in agreement, then clinked his glass.

"It wasn't that hard was it?" Veronica raised an eyebrow at him until he clarified, "Flirting with me."

"Hah. You mean, pretending to flirt with you." She corrected him, then took a long sip.

Logan waited, then finally poked at her, fishing for a compliment. "Come on. You can admit you were charmed by me. There's no shame."

Veronica sighed heavily. "Fine. I will admit that you can _pretend_ to be a very charming person."

"That's all I'm going to get?"

"That's the truth. What more do you want?" She challenged him, but was unprepared for the way he quietly and confidently moved into her personal space.

"So you think she was right, then?" He breathed softly, and Veronica did her utter best to stop her stupid heart from beating so quickly.

"About what?" She was proud of how even her voice was.

"About love."

She could suddenly hear Kendall's voice echoed through Wallace's earbud.

" _I watched you with your mark and it's obvious you're completely in love with her already."_

"About how there's no such thing." Logan added, and Veronica visibly relaxed.

"Oh. Of course I believe in true love." She thought a moment, then pressed her lips together. "I've never seen it, but it's nice to think it's out there. Somewhere."

Logan frowned gently at her, still so close. "Is it somewhere out there for you?"

She managed a humorless smile. "Well, you know what the J. Geils Band says about love."

"Oh?"

"It stinks." She shrugged on her coat and paid her tab. "Night, Logan."

As she walked outside, she could still sense the heat of Logan's gaze on her back, could feel her pulse racing, could hear Logan's voice, soft and almost genuine.

" _Is that such a bad thing? Falling in love?"_

"Damn right it is." She muttered into her coat, and marched off into the night.


End file.
